Night Shift (BXB)

**14**

As Kyrie slowly opened his eyes, he heard the shrill sound of his phone ringing. Rubbing his eyes, he reached for the device on the bedside table and checked the caller ID. Recognizing the number, he answered the phone. "Good morning my boo bear"

Brandon laughed on the other end, "Morning, it's the afternoon babe. You need to get ready for work"

Kyrie looked at the time, "fuck, your right I do. Thank you for reminding me."

Kyrie got up and got ready, he took a shower, brushed his teeth, and brushed his hair. He put on his uniform and pressed the Facetime button to show Brandon.

Brandon answered and smiled at him, "Well look at you, so cute. I wish I was there right now"

"I wish you were here too," Kyrie said as he grabbed his keys and went out of the apartment.

Since he came back to the city, Kyrie and Brandon would talk non-stop, whether it was on the phone, texting, or Facetime, they always found a way to chat. 24/7, 7 days a week. They would talk about how their day was, what they were doing at the moment, what they were eating, and what they were drinking. They would talk anywhere in the house, while driving, overnight sleeping on the phone together, and Especially while he was at work.

Kyrie found himself struggling to focus on his tasks. The familiar rhythm of the restaurant seemed to elude him, his thoughts constantly drifting to the messages he exchanged with Brandon. At first, he would only text or call him while he was on break, but he became unexplainably drawn to Brandon every step of the way, so he would text him and call him while he was on the clock.

As he busied himself with his duties, Kyrie couldn't help but sneak glances at his phone every chance he got, eager for any sign of a new message from Brandon. His heart raced with anticipation with each buzz or ding, his mind consumed by thoughts of their time together in Virginia Beach. Kyrie tried to multitask by doing work and being on the phone at the same time but since the phone was his distraction, he stopped working half of the time to text Brandon back most of his shift.

Unbeknownst to Kyrie, his distracted behavior had not gone unnoticed by his coworkers. Naomi, ever observant, couldn't help but notice the way Kyrie's attention seemed to be elsewhere, his phone practically glued to his hand.

"Kyrie, is everything alright?" Naomi asked, concern lacing her voice as she approached him in the kitchen.

Kyrie jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, guilt flashing across his features as he hastily pocketed his phone. "Yeah, everything's fine, Naomi. Just... just got a lot on my mind, you know?"

Naomi studied him for a moment, her gaze searching. "Are you sure? You seem more distracted than usual. And you know the rules about being on your phone during work hours."

Kyrie nodded, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I know, Naomi. I'll try to be more mindful. It won't happen again."

Naomi's expression softened, a hint of understanding in her eyes. "Alright, Kyrie. Just remember, work comes first. Whatever it is can wait until you're off the clock."

As Naomi walked away, Kyrie couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at her words. He knew she was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling of longing that gnawed at him whenever he was away from his phone.

Kyrie placed his phone in the lockers, no longer keeping him from getting attached to it, he continued his duties and prepared to close for the night.

Meanwhile, across the restaurant, Milo observed Kyrie with a knowing smile. He was curious about his friend's distracted behavior. Beside him, Nico leaned in and whispered conspiratorially in a low voice.

"What are you staring at, buddy?" Nico asked.

"Any idea who Kyrie's been talking to?" Milo inquired, his brow furrowed with curiosity.

Nico shrugged, a playful glint in his eye. "I have no clue. But whoever it is, they've certainly got Kyrie's attention. You seem concerned. Are you catching feelings?"

Milo looked at Nico and scoffed, "Nico, I have a girlfriend. I've moved past Kyrie."

"Whatever you say, man."

"No seriously, and who knows, Kyrie could have moved on just like me."

Nico looked at Milo, unsure if Milo actually moved on or was still afraid to let him know how he felt about Kyrie. He knew the connection was still there, he just needed to figure out if Kyrie actually moved on.

As the day wore on and the restaurant bustled with activity, Kyrie found himself caught in a whirlwind of distractions. But amidst the chaos, one thought remained constant: Brandon.

He wished Brandon would have come with him, but at the same time in the back of his thoughts, kyrie feels like everything in his life is still moving a bit too fast. Maybe he used Brandon as a distraction to forget about Milo? Even though Kyrie didn't think about Milo his entire Virginia beach trip, the thoughts came back when he arrived back in the city.

Maybe I still have feelings for Milo? He thought, but shook those feelings back to reality when he got a text from Brandon on his way home:

"Let's not Facetime in bed tonight because my phone overheated last time lol"

"Oh okay I'll just text you all night then"

"Did you get in trouble? You accidentally sent me a voice message and I overheard your boss"

Kyrie looked at his phone for a moment and found the voice memo, "Ah, not really she was understanding" he texted back.

"That's great I wish your manager was as cool as mine"

"Yeah maybe you should work here"

"Maybe I might ;). Anyway goodnight I have to wake up early"

"OK, love you goodnight"

"Gn. ily2 <3"

With that, Kyrie turned off his phone and drifted to sleep.